Michael Finocchiaro's Reviews > Henry V

On my initial read, this was likely my least favorite of the long cycle of plays from Edward III to Richard III. But with time, my opinion has improved. It starts and ends with a chorus and is primarily about Henry V's short, violent reign, his defeat of the French at Agincourt, and his death. I realize the Harry was a mighty warrior, but his tendency to kill every man, woman, and child after a battle wore on me. The best moment for me was when he is disguised and circulating among his troops. He has become far more introspective than the brash, party animal he was with Falstaff by his side in Henry IV Part 1.

All in all, it must be said that this is a very patriotic play. Framed by Chorus, it plays out like a Greek tragedy for the French and ends with a mariage. The opening and closing were very memorable, as was the off-stage death of Falstaff.

Of the various Shakespearean kings, Henry V is probably the most idealized as a warrior. Before the battle in Act 3, scene i, we get the famous pep talk:
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,
Have in these parts from morn till even fought
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:
Dishonour not your mothers; now attest
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

He disguises himself to walk among the soldiers and gauge the moral before the battle. Here is is reflecting on his thoughts of being a king and yet still a man:

I think the King is but a man as I am. The violet smells to him as it doth to me ... His ceremonies laid by, in his nakedness he appears but a man.
Henry V, Act 4 scene i

He gives another good (and incredibly famous) pep talk before the battle as well:
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now abed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Henry V, Act 4, scene iii

One thing that was particularly curious about this play was the off-color humor and the jabs at the French accent. The most famous part is Act 3, scene iv where Alice, a servant, is teaching English to Princess Katharine and they use some rude expressions:

KATHARINE.
Ainsi dis-je, d’elbow, de nick, et de sin. Comment appelez-vous le pied et la robe?
ALICE.
De foot, madame; et de coun.
KATHARINE.
De foot et de coun! O Seigneur Dieu! ils sont les mots de son mauvais, corruptible, gros, et impudique, et non pour les dames d’honneur d’user. Je ne voudrais prononcer ces mots devant les seigneurs de France pour tout le monde. Foh! le foot et le coun! Néanmoins, je réciterai une autre fois ma leçon ensemble: d’hand, de fingres, de nails, d’arm, d’elbow, de nick, de sin, de foot, de coun.

Note that in French slang, "foot" is pronounced "foutre" and means "sperm" or the sexual act and "coun" is equivalent to "cunt." More details on this blog: https://stronglang.wordpress.com/2016...

There is a later section that is pretty funny which makes fun of the French accent:
KING HENRY.
I said so, dear Katharine; and I must not blush to affirm it.
KATHARINE.
O bon Dieu! les langues des hommes sont pleines de tromperies.
KING HENRY.
What says she, fair one? That the tongues of men are full of deceits?
ALICE.
Oui, dat de tongues of de mans is be full of deceits: dat is de Princess.
Henry V, Act 5, scene iii

I found it entertaining to see that even old Will, albeit early in his career, was poking fun at the French accent! And, in retrospect, it lets us see, ever briefly, the charming, fun-loving Harry in a playful mood after the brutality of the battlefield.

The Hollow Crown from 2012-2013 ended their first season with a marvelous 2h18m rendition which truly shone light on the text for me. Hiddleston was an excellent Henry V and all the characters were well-cast. The battle-scene was impressive. Before moving on to Henry VI, I am watching both Laurence Olivier’s 1944 version as well as Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 version. The Laurence Olivier version had some great moments - particularly playing the initial scene as an Elizabethan tongue in cheek comedy. Contrasted with the serious as a heartattack version by Kenneth Branaugh which feels almost overly serious. I think that the Hollow Crown in this case did the most justice and showed the most balance between the serious and farcical aspects of this play.

Fino's Reviews of Shakespeare and Shakespearean Criticism
Comedies
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
As You Like It (1599-1600)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
A Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Tempest (1611-1612)
Two Noble Kinsmen (1612-1613)

Histories
Henry VI Part I (1589-1590)
Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)
Richard III (1593-1594)
Richard II (1595-1596)
King John (1596-1597)
Edward III (1596-1597)
Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)
Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)
Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry VIII (1612-1612)

Tragedies
Titus Andronicus (1592-1593)
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
Othello (1604-1605)
King Lear (1605-1606)
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-1607)
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
Timon of Athens (1607-1608)
Pericles (1608-1609)

Shakespearean Criticism
The Wheel of Fire by Wilson Knight
A Natural Perspective by Northrop Frye
Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber
Shakespeare's Roman Plays and Their Background by M W MacCallum
Shakespearean Criticism 1919-1935 compiled by Anne Ridler
Shakespearean Tragedy by A.C. Bradley
Shakespeare's Sexual Comedy by Hugh M. Richmond
Shakespeare: The Comedies by R.P. Draper
Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro

Collections of Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis, the Rape of Lucrece and Other Poems
Shakespeare's Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint
The Complete Oxford Shakespeare